Category: reviews

my cohesive thoughts on recent reads

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stealing you by mollie goins (arc review)

Posted on by ejreadsss

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. 

Stealing You by Mollie Goins is the third book in my beloved Boston Blues series. This book focuses on Beck Daines, the sarcastic, flirty first-baseman and aspiring tattoo artist and full-time badass, Jenson James, best friend to the Blues Girls, Lucie and Callie. Neither of them wants to be in a relationship but neither wants to be the one to stay away, so where does that leave them? In a torturous cycle of pining, shameless flirting, some bullying, and both waiting anxiously for their standing Tuesday morning run “not” dates. 

Under the surface, both Beck and Jenson are dealing with their own issues. Beck is struggling with accepting his mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis and what it means for their relationship.  Jenson, having just completed her tattoo apprenticeship, suddenly finds herself in desperate need of a place to live, and who would happen to have an extra room but the ginger-haired baseball player? Roommates it is. 

I’m obsessed with them. Truly they just compliment each other so well. From the way they flirt, to the way they protect each other, to *ahem* spicier scenes, they just always are there for each other the way best friends and partners should be. I have very strong feelings that Will Anderson is one of the best MMCs ever, and I stand by that. BUT GODDAMN IF BECK ISN’T FIGHTING FOR THE TITLE. 

One thing I truly love about the Boston Blues series is that each book deals with real, hard-hitting topics while keeping the balance with the light and fluffy romance. Please take your time to read the content warnings before reading, and a huge thank you to Mollie for always including them.

 

Posted in reviews

coach me // mollie goins (arc review)

Posted on by ejreadsss

Okay, I am so excited to be writing this review.  Coach Me by Mollie Goins was incredible and nearly impossible to put down. 

I read Pitcher Us through LoveNotesPR earlier this year and simply fell in love with Goins’s writing style. Every character has been so well thought out and articulated in such a way that makes them fly off the page. If you follow my Bookstagram (@ejreads if you don’t) you’ll know I am a Will Anderson fan girl. Now, I fear I am a fan girl for the whole Anderson family after reading about Lucie. 

Disclaimer: If there is one thing about me, it’s that I don’t like kids in my romance. I never have and I don’t know if I ever will. It’s just not my personal taste. So, my experience is limited in the single dad x nanny tropes. However, I loved this book enough that it didn’t make me a believer, but it did give me an understanding of why people like it. 

Okay let’s get to it: 

Coach Me is the second installment of the Boston Blues series that follows interconnected stories about baseball players and their families. Dex Larson is only a year into retirement from pitching and a year into coaching when his systems begin to break down. Going from playing to coaching was one thing, but adding in a divorce and full custody of his firecracker 5 year old Miles, he is being run ragged. Season is coming soon, and as little as he wants to admit it, he needs help. Lucie Anderson, sister to starting pitcher Will Anderson of the Boston Blues, just finished her first year teaching and loves what she does. Her first year couldn’t have gone better and she is ready to get a jump on planning for the next year when she is let go the first Monday into summer break. Now she is 24, has a degree but no job prospects, and her sister has announced she is moving out of their shared apartment at the end of the summer. When Callie, Will’s girlfriend and team photographer, hears about this, it sounds to her like Dex and Lucie can help each other out. 

Lucie Anderson, I want to be your best friend. She is the golden retriever best friend that my black cat-ness needs. Being the youngest, she feels a certain responsibility to find herself and not let anyone down, namely her siblings who worked so hard to get her where she is. This led to a pretty severe loss of self because she seemed to feel like she just owed them everything. Being 24, it’s a hard age to be where you feel like you’re playing dress-up as a grown up with their life together. She was just a beautifully complex character and I would die for her. 

Let’s talk about Dex and Miles. Dex puts the grumpy in grumpy x sunshine. But what I love and appreciate about Dex is that he is aware of the situation. He knows Lucie is younger than him and he doesn’t want to pressure her at all. He is aware that it is a cliche to fall in love with the nanny, and he owns it. He makes sure that Lucie is his priority as much as he can while keeping Miles at the forefront always. That’s what I think I love about them. Miles didn’t feel like an accessory to their story. He was a main character as much as Lucie and Dex were. Their love for him was completely independent of their love for each other, and it showed in every action. 

This is one of the stories that, yes there is plot and an overall story that is incredibly well-written and developed, but the characters are what make it shine. The characters are what come to mind because they make it real. 

 I can’t wait to see the rest of the series play out, and I can’t wait for more Dex and Lucie in future books!

P.S. If you want a sneak peek at some of my favorite quotes from Coach Me – check out my IG post Ranking No Context Coach Me Quotes Through Memes 

Thank you, Mollie Goins and LoveNotesPR for gifting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Coach Me will be released in stores and on KindleUnlimited on August 15, 2025. 

xoxo

ej

Posted in reviews

All Fired Up // M.K. England (review)

Posted on by ejreadsss

Happy 2025! 🎉

We’re off to a busy start this year. But, starting off the year with a 4 star arc is nothing to complain about! We’ll do a life catch-up post soon, but for now, let’s get into the review!

CW: alcohol consumption; death of a parent, troubled parental relationships, burning building, misogynistic comments

All Fired Up by M.K. England is a sapphic new adult romance that highlights the importance of found family, living life for you not the expectations others set forth for you, and facing feelings head on. Both main characters, Kira and Nic, find themselves struggling with their path in life. Nic had left her friend group and found family to attend grad school on the other side of the country. Once she completes her degree, she heads home, expecting to find everything just as she had left it in Seattle. What she wasn’t expecting was her best friend to have a new best friend; enter Kira. Kira is the newest member of the friend group, a firefighter, and her own biggest critic. The two girls join together as partners in crime to stop their shared best friend, Skylar, from jetting off to Fiji to start a new life without them. Once they get to plotting, things really begin to take off between the two. 

Overall, I loved the book. It was near impossible to put down. The dynamic between Nic and Kira was perfect. From their jobs being two sides of the same coin (Nic being a pyrologist and Kira being a firefighter) to their opposite personalities. Nic is reserved, introverted, and far too relatable on my end. Kira, on the other hand, has a confidence about her that Nic was lacking. She was a badass and went after what she wanted, even when the powers that be tried to keep her down. They complimented each other exceptionally. 

I would have liked to see more of the friend group and their dynamics. Despite this, with the short amount of time the group was on the page, it was clear this story lends itself to the possibility of a series.  

4 stars. I can’t wait to see what M.K. England does in the future. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Canary Street Press for gifting me this e-book in exchange for an honest review. All Fired Up will be released on April 29th, 2025.

xoxo ej